In today’s economy, raising a child on a single income is a challenge. When you’re barely making ends meet, it can be difficult to give everything your child needs to succeed. It’s hard not to feel bitter if, while scraping together what little you can, you’re waiting on overdue child support payment from your ex-partner. I you’re tired of waiting for them to get back to you, enlist help you can count on. Private child support enforcement agencies are invested in finding your Non-Custodial Parent (NCP) and getting the money you’re owed.

The people behind many of the greatest agencies in the country care because they understand what it feels like to be in your position. Take, for example, the founder and current president of Support Collectors. She was once a single mom struggling to get the support she needed. Her state government child support office did its best, but simply didn’t have enough funding to provide the extra effort it took to solve her difficult case. It was through her own disappointments that she devised a system of personalized enforcement that guaranteed success.

If your government agency has failed to resolve your case, it’s time to supplement their efforts with a private enforcement agency just like Support Collectors. These organizations consist of lawyers, investigators, and enforcement specialists that work together seamlessly to provide their clients with dependable assistance. Their combined efforts will navigate legal issues, uncover the location of the NCP, and successfully negotiate the terms of the outstanding child support payments.

Unlike a government agency, which works on your behalf without requiring payment, the assistance from the private sector comes at a cost. Though negligible, this price should be something you can accommodate on your single income. In order to make sure their assistance is manageable, you should keep the following in mind before you sign along the dotted line:

The agency should be licensed to operate on your behalf across the country,

The cost of their service should be straight-forward and without unnecessary application or case development fees,

They should be an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating,

They shouldn’t demand you close your case file with the government, and

Their track record should be replete with excellent customer reviews.

When you find an agency that ticks off all of these points, you know your case will be in good hands. Combined with the efforts at your government’s office, you’ll have an increased chance of recovering the money that’s owed. As a result, raising your child on your own won’t be as a challenging.